Old Bay Seasoning - Wikipedia - Recent changes [en]

Old Bay Seasoning is named after the [[Baltimore Steam Packet Company|Old Bay Line]], a passenger ship line that plied the waters of the [[Chesapeake Bay]] from Baltimore to [[Norfolk, Virginia]], in the early 1900s.<ref name="wlif">{{Cite web | url=https://todays1019.radio.com/blogs/fran-lane/history-old-bay | title=The History of Old Bay Seasoning | first=Fran | last=Lane | date=November 6, 2018 | website=WLIF 101.9 FM | location=Baltimore, Maryland | language=en | access-date=May 20, 2019 | archive-date=February 10, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200210112125/https://todays1019.radio.com/blogs/fran-lane/history-old-bay | url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1939, a German-Jewish immigrant named Gustav Brunn<ref name="wlif" /> started the [[Baltimore Spice Company]].<ref name="jewishtimes">{{Cite news | url=https://jewishtimes.com/76491/the-spice-of-baltimore/news/ | title=The Spice of Baltimore | first=Connor | last=Graham | date=March 14, 2018 | website=Baltimore Jewish Times | language=en-US | access-date=May 20, 2019 | archive-date=February 29, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229064408/https://jewishtimes.com/76491/the-spice-of-baltimore/news/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

Old Bay Seasoning is named after the [[Baltimore Steam Packet Company|Old Bay Line]], a passenger ship line that plied the waters of the [[Chesapeake Bay]] from Baltimore to [[Norfolk, Virginia]], in the early 1900s.<ref name="wlif">{{Cite web | url=https://todays1019.radio.com/blogs/fran-lane/history-old-bay | title=The History of Old Bay Seasoning | first=Fran | last=Lane | date=November 6, 2018 | website=WLIF 101.9 FM | location=Baltimore, Maryland | language=en | access-date=May 20, 2019 | archive-date=February 10, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200210112125/https://todays1019.radio.com/blogs/fran-lane/history-old-bay | url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1939, a German-Jewish immigrant named Gustav Brunn<ref name="wlif" /> started the [[Baltimore Spice Company]].<ref name="jewishtimes">{{Cite news | url=https://jewishtimes.com/76491/the-spice-of-baltimore/news/ | title=The Spice of Baltimore | first=Connor | last=Graham | date=March 14, 2018 | website=Baltimore Jewish Times | language=en-US | access-date=May 20, 2019 | archive-date=February 29, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229064408/https://jewishtimes.com/76491/the-spice-of-baltimore/news/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The origins of the company can be traced back to [[Wertheim am Main|Wertheim]], [[Germany]], where Brunn started a wholesale spice and seasoning business selling to food industries, seeing an opportunity as spices were in especially short supply amidst [[Hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic|hyperinflation]] in the aftermath of World War I.<ref name="Intern">{{Cite web|last=Pelta-Pauls|first=Maggie|date=April 28, 2017|title=Old Bay was Created in Baltimore by a German-Jewish Immigrant|url=https://www.preservationmaryland.org/history-of-old-bay-spice-blend/|access-date=July 6, 2020|website=Preservation Maryland|language=en-gb}}</ref> Due to rising antisemitism as the [[Nazi Party]] rose to power, the company moved to [[Frankfurt]], Germany;<ref>{{Cite web|last=Graham|first=Connor|date=March 14, 2018|title=The Spice of Baltimore|url=https://jewishtimes.com/76491/the-spice-of-baltimore/news/|access-date=July 6, 2020|website=Baltimore Jewish Times|language=en-US|archive-date=February 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229064408/https://jewishtimes.com/76491/the-spice-of-baltimore/news/|url-status=dead}}</ref> however, on the night of November 9, 1938, a massive [[pogrom]] against Jews, known as [[Kristallnacht]], led to Brunn being arrested by Nazi soldiers and sent to [[Buchenwald concentration camp]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Goldstein|first1=Eric|last2=Weiner|first2=Deborah|date=March 28, 2018|title=On Middle Ground: A History of the Jews of Baltimore|url=https://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/title/middle-ground|access-date=July 6, 2020|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|doi=10.1353/book.58245 |isbn=9781421424538 }}</ref>

The origins of the company can be traced back to [[Wertheim am Main|Wertheim]], [[Germany]], where Brunn started a wholesale spice and seasoning business selling to food industries, seeing an opportunity as spices were in especially short supply amidst [[Hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic|hyperinflation]] in the aftermath of World War I.<ref name="Intern">{{Cite web|last=Pelta-Pauls|first=Maggie|date=April 28, 2017|title=Old Bay was Created in Baltimore by a German-Jewish Immigrant|url=https://www.preservationmaryland.org/history-of-old-bay-spice-blend/|access-date=July 6, 2020|website=Preservation Maryland|language=en-gb}}</ref> Due to rising antisemitism as the [[Nazi Party]] rose to power, the company moved to [[Frankfurt]], Germany;<ref>{{Cite web|last=Graham|first=Connor|date=March 14, 2018|title=The Spice of Baltimore|url=https://jewishtimes.com/76491/the-spice-of-baltimore/news/|access-date=July 6, 2020|website=Baltimore Jewish Times|language=en-US|archive-date=February 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229064408/https://jewishtimes.com/76491/the-spice-of-baltimore/news/|url-status=dead}}</ref> however, on the night of November 9, 1938, a massive [[pogrom]] against Jews, known as [[Kristallnacht]], led to Brunn being arrested by Nazi soldiers and sent to [[Buchenwald concentration camp]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Goldstein|first1=Eric|last2=Weiner|first2=Deborah|date=March 28, 2018|title=On Middle Ground: A History of the Jews of Baltimore|url=https://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/title/middle-ground|access-date=July 6, 2020|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|doi=10.1353/book.58245 |isbn=9781421424538 }}</ref>

According to Brunn's son, Gustav's wife paid a large sum of money to a lawyer for him to be released; as they had already applied for and received American [[travel visa|visas]], they were able to escape with their two children to New York City and later Baltimore, Maryland, where Brunn had family.<ref name="Intern"/> There, having brought with him only a small spice grinder,<ref name="jewishtimes" /> Brunn founded the Baltimore Spice Company and produced the "Delicious Brand Shrimp and Crab Seasoning", which was later renamed Old Bay.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tkacik |first1=Christina |title=A bit of history on the German-born Baltimore man who invented Old Bay seasoning |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/features/retro-baltimore/bs-md-ci-retro-old-bay-20180809-story.html |access-date=October 20, 2021 |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=August 12, 2018}}</ref><ref name="goldfish">{{Cite news |last=Elwood |first=Karina |date=May 17, 2022 |title=Before Old Bay Goldfish, a man fled Nazi Germany with a spice grinder |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/05/17/old-bay-goldfish-baltimore-history/ |access-date=May 17, 2022 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Interestingly, the consumption of shellfish is prohibited by Kosher dietary laws.

According to Brunn's son, Gustav's wife paid a large sum of money to a lawyer for him to be released; as they had already applied for and received American [[travel visa|visas]], they were able to escape with their two children to New York City and later Baltimore, Maryland, where Brunn had family.<ref name="Intern"/> There, having brought with him only a small spice grinder,<ref name="jewishtimes" /> Brunn founded the Baltimore Spice Company and produced the "Delicious Brand Shrimp and Crab Seasoning", which was later renamed Old Bay.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tkacik |first1=Christina |title=A bit of history on the German-born Baltimore man who invented Old Bay seasoning |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/features/retro-baltimore/bs-md-ci-retro-old-bay-20180809-story.html |access-date=October 20, 2021 |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=August 12, 2018}}</ref><ref name="goldfish">{{Cite news |last=Elwood |first=Karina |date=May 17, 2022 |title=Before Old Bay Goldfish, a man fled Nazi Germany with a spice grinder |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/05/17/old-bay-goldfish-baltimore-history/ |access-date=May 17, 2022 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

The rights to the seasoning brand were purchased by McCormick & Co in 1990.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1990/11/01/mccormick-adds-old-bay-products-to-its-spice-rack/ |first=Liz |last=Atwood |date=November 1, 1990 |newspaper=The Baltimore Evening Sun |title=McCormick adds Old Bay products to its spice rack |access-date=June 6, 2011 |archive-date=September 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926144227/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1990-11-01/business/1990305197_1_mccormick-spice-hanson |url-status=live }}</ref> McCormick continued to offer Old Bay in the classic yellow can.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1990/11/01/mccormick-buys-locally-invented-old-bay-crab-spice/ |first=Kim |last=Clark |date=November 1, 1990 |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |title=McCormick buys locally invented Old Bay crab spice |access-date=January 11, 2013}}</ref>

The rights to the seasoning brand were purchased by McCormick & Co in 1990.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1990/11/01/mccormick-adds-old-bay-products-to-its-spice-rack/ |first=Liz |last=Atwood |date=November 1, 1990 |newspaper=The Baltimore Evening Sun |title=McCormick adds Old Bay products to its spice rack |access-date=June 6, 2011 |archive-date=September 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926144227/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1990-11-01/business/1990305197_1_mccormick-spice-hanson |url-status=live }}</ref> McCormick continued to offer Old Bay in the classic yellow can.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1990/11/01/mccormick-buys-locally-invented-old-bay-crab-spice/ |first=Kim |last=Clark |date=November 1, 1990 |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |title=McCormick buys locally invented Old Bay crab spice |access-date=January 11, 2013}}</ref>